F-star Enters Into Collaborative Discovery & Development Agreement With AbbVie for Bispecific Antibodies in Immuno-oncology

F-star today announced that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with AbbVie to research and develop bispecific antibodies in immuno-oncology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Immuno-oncology leverages the power of the body's natural immune response to fight cancer. Combination immunotherapies are showing particular promise as cancer therapies, even compared to the advances made with monoclonal antibodies. As the field develops further, bispecific antibodies have the potential for further improved potency, safety profile and cost efficiency compared to combination therapies.

"We are very excited to be working with AbbVie on these immuno-oncology programmes to develop new bispecific antibodies," saidJohn Haurum, M.D., D.Phil.,Chief Executive Officer at F-star. "Bispecific antibodies are expected to be the cornerstone of the next generation of immuno-oncology products and this collaboration validates our technology as truly novel and differentiated in the space."

F-star's Modular Antibody Technology™ platform introduces an antigen binding site into the constant region of an antibody to create a so-called Fcab™ (an Fc-domain with antigen binding activity). In a combinatorial plug & play process, an Fcab can then be used to make many different bispecific antibodies (mAb2™) using variable regions binding to second targets.

Under the collaboration agreement, F-star and AbbVie will create Fcabs against two immuno-oncology targets and generate several mAb2 drug development candidates from these Fcabs. The AbbVie research activities for this collaboration will be led by AbbVie Biotherapeutics.

About F-star

F-star is a clinical-stage company developing bispecific antibody immuno-oncology products selected for their potential to transform the treatment of cancer. F-star's management team has significant experience in building numerous successful biotech companies. The team is advised by a world-leading scientific advisory board and a highly experienced board of directors. Through application of its powerful Modular Antibody Technology™ platform F-star aims to dominate the bispecific antibody space in immuno-oncology. F-star is the only biotechnology company able to create bispecific antibodies, where the second binding site is in the constant Fc region of an antibody, offering unprecedented ease in the discovery, development, and manufacturing of bispecific antibody products. The Company has built a comprehensive IP estate around this core technology and related applications, with over 50 patents filed and 27 already granted. The strength of the technology and programmes has been leveraged through partnerships with leading biopharmaceutical companies including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Serono, Boehringer Ingelheim and Abbvie. Furthermore, F-star's lead clinical-stage programme (FS102) has provided valuable validation around key aspects of the core technology such as ease of manufacturing, favourable drug stability, pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity.